January 2011 - Pay the Book Forward Choice!

Hi all!  I've decided that the January 2011 Pay the Book Forward read will be "Keeper of Light and Dust" by Natasha Mostert!

See this post for the details of the Pay the Book Forward program.  Be sure to leave a comment on THIS post to be in the drawing.  I'll draw around the 1st of the year and contact the recipient for a snail mail address!

My take on this book:
The book sucks you in by weaving together the paranormal and a genre of an unfamiliar to me sport. This book stays with you for a long time after reading it, it's so real but not real!  Hard to explain. I ended up on pins and needles just waiting for the discovery of the Dragonfly!

My Favorite Books of 2010!

I read a lot more than I thought I had this past year!  Of course, I love the fact that I don't have to pack a big or bulky or big and bulky book in my purse or tote any longer, especially since I have the Kindle app on my Droid!  Life for a verocious reader such as myself couldn't get any better than ebooks, ereaders, and apps!  Yeah baby!

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Blood Noir by Laurell K Hamilton
The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil
Invisible (Ivy Malone Book 1) by Lorena McCourtney
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards
Shutter Island by Dennis LaHane
Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik
The Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert
Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro
Home is Where the Wine Is - Crazy Aunt Purl (Laurie Perry)  
The King's Mistress by Emma Capion
The Life You've Imagined by Kristina Riggle
Isles and Rizzoli series by Tess Gerritsen
The Sinner
The Keepsake
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones
Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
The Drums of Autumn - Diana Gabaldon - Book 4

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
Wicked Appetite  by Janet Evanovich
Aurora Teagarden Series by Charlaine Harris
Real Murders - Book 1
Seaside Knitters Mysterie Series by Sally Goldenbaum
Death by Cashmere (Book 1)
Patterns in the Sand (Book 2)
WVMP Radio Series by Jeri Smith Ready
Wicked Game (Book 1)
Bad to the Bone (Book 2)
Bring on the Night (Book 3)
Great Lakes serial killers : true accounts of the Great Lakes most gruesome murders / Wayne Louis Kadar

Christmas 2010!

It was an amazingly awesome Christmas!  Bryan made it in from Hawaii without too much of an issue, Minneapolis on the 24th was trying to not be cooperative but he made it, 3 hours late but here all the same!  Here he is with the girlies!

 

Then my great nephew and nieces in Virginia went and got all my snow!  Don't they look like they are having a blastola!

AND, drum roll, my new Christmas ornament!  Jingle Tail Pup!  Is he not the kutest thing you've ever seen!  I love him a ton!

Decorated and Knitting Progress!

I finally got decorated for Christmas 2010 yesterday.  I don't know why it took me so long other than being on the road but that really isn't much of an excuse as it doesn't take long with my little tree.  I'm always amazed that it holds all the ornaments it does and could probably take on more! LOL  So here is the tree, my quilt of choice for the bottom of the tree this year is my Veterans Quilt that I received in November from wonderful friends.

Night time and day time shot!

Bottom and topper decorations.  I love my cardinals!
And of course there was knitting on my time off!  I finished up the Pretty Toes socks and made great progress on my one row scarf but of course HAD to get another pair of socks on the needles so I started the KBC Leaf Garden socks.  Great pattern and works up fast, fast, fast.  I changed out the heel to a Fleegle Heel because I love it,,,,fast, easy, and no gussett holes!  WOOT WOOT.

Knit Wits!

Thank you Sarah for turning me onto this, what a hoot!  Whether you're a knitter, crocheter, crafter or not I am positive you'll enjoy these podcasts!  Too fun!  Visit Knit Wits blog and listen away!

Internet down...........AGAIN!

Hi all, not lost just without cable internet again this weekend and have aircard only, which I don't want to burn all the minutes of.  So I've been knitting and reading a lot!  Have a houseful coming for Fat Sunday.  Venison stew is about to go in the crock pot!  YUMMO!

The White House Christmas and Elvis!

One of my favorite things this time of year is to watch the White House transform for Christmas.  I am so glad they post videos but I really miss the Barney cam (from the Bush's). I do love the theme this year "Simple Gifts"

And it isn't Christmas without a little Elvis!

Kutest Placemats Evaaa!

OK, now how fun are these Personalized Placemats from Moda Bake Shop!  I can see them decorating the table with all of Santa's reindeer names with family and friends choosing which they want to be this year!  WOOT WOOT!

Snow Days make great Knitting Days!

Finally!  Sunday, December 12th, we got our first snow storm and oooooooooooohhhh did Mother Nature bring it!  6" of snow on the ground by Monday morning and I was a happy snoopy dancin' chica around here! LOL  I am very thankful though that I got in from Cali when I did, late Saturday night and decided to go direct from L.A. to Detroit rather than my normal route through Minneapolis/St. Paul as I think I may still be there! YIKES.
Here's a glimpse of the glory:

And the puppies in it, of course Ruby was less than impressed and had to have her sweater on.  Sorry for the piddling shot but it was the only time she'd hold still long enough for a pic. LOL  And Sadie's first snow angel of the 2010 winter season.

And then after their play date with Mother Nature!

And of course, after all that shoveling what better way to spend the rest of the day not being on the horribly icy roads.  Well knit of course.  Made great progress on both my Pretty Toes Socks and my One Row Lace Scarf.

Candy Wreaths!

OK, now how much fun are these wreaths from the Sweet Paul blog and so super simple to put together!  I love them both but I think I'd live it even more if they were combined!  Can you just see that popcorn wreath with peppermint twist candies sprinkled throughout!  Too kewlio!

Maverick Knitting!

Of course I brought knitting with me to Cali but for the second sock of the Pretty Toes Pedicure Socks KAL from Knitters Brewing.

Did I remember a crochet hook for provisional cast on or a cable needle for the cabling,,,,of course not, so I went all Maverick on it and got the sock going!  Since I've been crocheting since I was 4 and my Mom started me out with making finger chains that is what I did for the provisional cast on HA!

And since I prefer the two cable needle method of knitting I always have an extra needle dangling so I used that as my cable needle, a little cumbersome at first but worked famously! HA!

and a closer view of the actual cabling:

My right sock done and my left sock well underway!  Yeah me! LOL

Heading home from Cali!

To one heck of a storm, looks like I'll miss getting caught up in it.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!
From this:

(Flickr creative commons image)

To this:

(Flickr creative common image)

Pass the ..... Bar Cloth!

I absolutely love knitted dish clothes as well as bar clothes!  I use them as hot pads as well as cleaning up dishes, kitchen cupboards, etc.  Here are some very kewl bar cloth patterns from Star Athena on Vickie Howell's blog.  They make awesome gifts too and work up so fast!

I've outgrown paper chains for the tree...

I want a fabric chain!  How kewl is this and super easy to do as well!  I love it to pieces!

Check out the free tutorial at Moda Bake Shop!

Mystery Sock III is coming SOON!

Knitters Brewing Company

Mystery Sock III: Family Jewels
Starts 1/14/11!

Don't miss out on any of the fun or suspense and camaraderie of other knitters!

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?...

I have this song stuck in my head!  Why!?!?!?  By the time you read this post I will be well on my way to San Jose, CA from Mid Michigan for training on our new software system.  I have found that there is no easy way to get to and from San Jose!  Wowser, it's a full day of travel to and fro.  Will be back in Mid MI, weather permitting, on Saturday evening!

Swirl Hat - Adult Version

I love the Swirl Hat pattern so much I decided to use up the rest of the Bernat Satin Sport yarn that I got for the baby blankie for an adult version of the hat!  Krissy is going to love this hat.  It is so soft and comfortable and WARM!  WOOT WOOT!

 

and here it is on, not the greatest of pics since I was doing it myself but it shows how nicely it fits!

And now I'm onto a scarf for me from Give me a Purl blog!  One Row Lace Scarf!

I'm doing mine in JoJoLand Melody yarn, purple and green (MS08).

Pay The Book Forward - First Recipient Notified

Jo from The Curly Scrapbooker is the winning recipient of the first book in the "Pay The Book Forward".  Congrats Jo!  I've sent an email requesting your snail mail address so I can get the book off to you!

Pay The Book Forward - 12 hours left for first drawing!

Today is drawing day for my Pay The Book Forward!  Go to this post and leave a comment to be in the run to be the first to receive the book via snail mail!  I'll ship it out tomorrow.  Will do a random draw around 6 p.m. EST today!
Here's the book that starts it off:

Fat Sunday (on Saturday!)

Decided to have a Fat Saturday since the kids are heading out for fun at the Wisconsin Dells bright and early this morning (4:30 a.m. and just shipped them off)!
Found Spinach-Artichoke Potato Lasagna on Rachel Ray's weekly newsletter and just knew I had to try it!  It is awesomely amazing.  The only thing I would change is use 1 box of spinach vs. 2 that the recipe calls for and watch the potatoes parboiling, I'd probably go down to 3 minutes vs. the 5 minutes so they stay stiffer!  I can see this with lasagna noodles as well.  Just good, good food!

Veterans Quilt!

A friend of mine has lap quilts made every year for Veterans Day and this year I was the lucky recipient of one.  Isn't it beautiful!  I love it!

Vampire Knits - Countess Bathory Scarf

WOOT WOOT! Finished the Countess Bathory Scarf from Vampire Knits just in time for Krissy to head out to the Wisconsin Dells with it in tow this weekend.  Hopefully will keep that winter wind off her neck while she's having tons of fun!  I may have to make a bunch of these in different colors, it works up soooooooooo fast!
Here it is starting off:

 

And here it is finished:

 

I'm on to an adult size Swirl Hat for the girl but don't think it'll be done in time for the trip to the Dells.

The Walking Dead (AMC)

I couldn't wait to get home from "Down State" last evening to catch up on the latest episode of AMC's "The Walking Dead".  Lame huh!?!?! LOL  Krissy and I have both been fixated on this mini-series and can't believe the last episode is this coming Sunday!  I always have to catch it the next evening with OnDemand as 10 p.m. on  a Sunday night is not a time for me to get my blood pumping with Zombie shows. LOL
You can watch them online as well!  WOOT WOOT!  Love Zombie shows and books.

Pay The Book Forward

What is it?

First I have to thank Sian from High In The Sky for finding and running with this wonderful idea, Pass the Book, and am grateful that I can continue the sharing with my Pay The Book Forward!

What happens?

Those who follow my blog know that I'm a big eBook convert.  Love my Sony Reader as well as my Kindle app for the iPad and my Droid.  With that said, there is nothing that beats having a traditional, on paper, wonderous book in my hands.  So, I am going to choose a book to read each month or so, will post about it here on the blog and then send it on to a fellow reader via snail mail. If you would like a chance to receive it in the mail, have a  great read and then pass it on, then leave a comment for that book. Around the first of each month, I'll draw a name for the previous months book and ship it off. All that is required, if you win the drawing, is that you enjoy the read and post it on your blog in a timely manner to pass along to another lucky recipient.

Track the book(s)?

What I'd like to see happen, as each recipient receives the book they write their name and general location on the inside cover of the book.  And as the book moves forward, let me know where it's at and where it's going next!  It will be a blast to see how they travel.

If you are the lucky winner of the draw?

First, leave an Email contact for me on your post for the book.  If you are the winner, I will email you for your snail mail address and ship it off to you!  Enjoy the read! Then create a post on your blog, referencing the "Pay The Book Forward" on the MaverickCrafter blog, and ask who would like the book next. Set a timeframe for the drawing, draw a name, tell us and then mail the book off . Be sure to follow this blog for a chance to win another Pay The Book Forward!

Book Info (I will update this area as the books are posted to their first recipient!)

The first book in the running is "The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club" by Gil McNeil.

For me, it initially started out as a slow read that I almost gave up on but thankfully I didn't as it turns out to be a wonderful novel!  I have every intention of reading the 2nd book in the series, "Needles and Pearls".

As you're reading the book, here are some Reading Group questions to think about.  I think these questions make the reading more fun at times.

Leave a comment on this post if you're interested in receiving the book as well as reposting it to someone else when you're done reading it!

I will mail the book to the recipient on Monday, Dec. 6th.

**Update**
December 2010 book, "The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club" by Gil McNeil, is going to Jo Sowerby as the first recipient!

January 2011 book, "Keeper of Light and Dust" by Natasha Mostert.  Click here to comment and be in the running for the book!